Keynote Speakers | Annual Convention

Mike Allen, Co-founder, Axios

Mike Allen writes the Axios Daily Essentials newsletters, Axios AM, Axios PM and Axios Finish Line. He was also an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning docu-news series, Axios on HBO, and co-author of Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less. Mike co-founded Politico, and is an alumnus of TIME, The New York Times and the Washington Post.

Brent Beardall, Chief Executive Officer, WaFd Bank

Brent Beardall is President, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of WaFd Bank, a Washington state chartered commercial bank headquartered in Seattle, Washington (NASDAQ: WAFD). Mr. Beardall joined WaFd Bank in 2001 as Vice President and Controller. In 2003 he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer, a position he served in for eleven years. Prior to this he served as Chief Banking Officer where he was responsible for all client-facing activities of the bank.

Clare Cusack, President and CEO, New York Bankers Association

Clare Cusack is the first woman to serve as the New York Bankers Association’s leader in its 130-year history. In 2024, Clare was named to the Albany Power 100 list in the publication City & State and as Chief Executive of the Year by the NY Society of Association Executives. Prior to her current role, Clare served as general counsel and COO for NYBA. Previously, Clare was an attorney at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, focusing her practice within the securities litigation and regulatory investigation fields. Clare serves on the board of directors of Pursuit, an SBA and U.S. Treasury-certified CDFI.

Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorganChase

Jamie Dimon became CEO of JPMorganChase in 2006, and shortly thereafter became chairman of the board. Prior, he was named president and COO upon the company’s merger with Bank One Corporation in 2004, where he’d served as chairman and CEO. Jamie began his career at American Express Company, eventually serving as CFO and president at Commercial Credit. He served as president and COO of Travelers from 1990-1998 while concurrently serving as COO of its Smith Barney Inc. subsidiary before becoming co-chairman and co-CEO of the combined brokerage following the 1997 merger. In 1998, Jamie was named President of Citigroup Inc.

Sam Drennen, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, First American Bank & Trust Company

Sam Drennen is a seasoned banking executive with over 25 years of experience in consulting and banking, driven by a passion for positively affecting people's lives through strategic leadership and innovation. Sam is an active industry advocate through his work as past member of the GBA Leadership Board, vice chair of the GBA Operations and Technology Board, ABA Emerging Leaders Council and the ABA Grassroots Working Group.

Adena T. Friedman, Chair and CEO, Nasdaq, Inc.

Adena Friedman is the Chief Executive Officer of Nasdaq and is Chair of the Board of Directors. With over 20 years of industry leadership and expertise, she is credited with significantly shaping Nasdaq’s transformation into a leading global exchange and technology company serving the financial industry. Adena also serves as a class B director to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and chairs the Business Roundtable’s technology committee.

Peter Grof, Community Investment Officer, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York

Peter Grof serves as Community Investment Officer for the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY), helping develop a strategy for addressing the housing, economic and community development needs of the FHLBNY District. Previously, he held a variety of roles at New Jersey Community Capital, a nationally recognized statewide CDFI.

Lopa Kolluri, Head of Affordable Housing Lending, CRE, M&T Bank

With over 25 years of experience in affordable housing and community development across both public and private sectors, Lopa Kolluri brings a wealth of expertise in management, operations, and the execution of housing policy and financing transactions. Recently appointed as Head of Affordable Housing Lending at M&T Bank, she is responsible for shaping and implementing the bank's affordable housing strategy. Her prior roles include senior leadership positions at HUD, where she oversaw $1.2 trillion in insured mortgages and led significant housing divisions, as well as key roles at the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Pennrose Properties, and within New Jersey state government.

General Mark A. Milley, 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2019-2023), Former Military Advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council, 39th Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, Former Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command

General (Ret.) Mark A. Milley has held positions in six divisions and a Special Forces Group throughout the last 44 years to include command of the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 2nd Infantry Division; the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division; Deputy Commanding General, 101st Airborne Division; Commanding General, 10th Mountain Division; Commanding General, III Corps; and Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command. General Milley is a fellow-in-residence at Georgetown University, and a Charles and Marie Robertson visiting lecturer at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Diana Nyad, World Champion Athlete, World Renowned Inspirational Speaker and Author

In 2013, Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida – inspiring the feature film “NYAD”. Diana spent over thirty years as a sports journalist and has written four books. Her groundbreaking piece on her childhood sexual abuse for the New York Times drew a passionate response from around the world. Diana’s off-Broadway play, “The Swimmer,” was performed for sold-out crowds in 2019. Diana is inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Dan Robb, President and CEO, Jonesburg State Bank

Dan Robb has over 37 years of banking experience since starting his career in 1985 as a bank teller. Dan has served the Missouri Bankers Association in various roles, including 8 years on the MBA Board of Directors, and was MBA Chairman in 2015. Dan served on ABA’s Community Bankers Council, Grass Roots Committee and was Chairman of ABA’s Government Relations Council in 2020. He also served on the board of ABA’s subsidiary Fund for Economic Growth.

David A. Rowe, Chief Administrative Officer, CAMBA Inc. and CAMBA Housing Ventures, Inc.

David A. Rowe joined CHV in 2008 and has been involved with affordable housing development for almost 25 years in various governmental, developmental, and lender capacities. As Chief Administrative Officer, David manages architecture, engineering, and construction teams to ensure the high-quality design and construction of all CHV developments from preliminary feasibility studies through construction and operation. Under David’s leadership and direction, CHV’s development portfolio has grown to include 2,970 units completed/in construction/in the pipeline, representing more than 2 million square feet of housing, and more than $1 billion in public and private investment in New York City communities.

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY)

Claudia Tenney was first elected to serve as a member of the United States House of Representatives on November 8, 2016, after winning one of the most expensive races in the nation. As a freshman member of the 115th Congress, she served on the House Financial Services Committee. She currently serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY)

Representative Ritchie Torres is a fighter from the Bronx who has spent his life working for the community he calls home. Like many in the Bronx, poverty and struggle have never been abstractions to him, and he governs from a place of lived experience. At the age of 25, Ritchie became New York City’s youngest elected official and the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to office in the Bronx. During his tenure at the city council, Ritchie passed over 40 pieces of legislation. As the chairman overseeing NYCHA, Ritchie held the first committee hearing ever in public housing. He currently represents NY-15 in Congress and serves as a member of the committee on financial services.

The Honorable Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Department of Treasury

On January 26, 2021, Janet Yellen was sworn in as the 78th Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. An economist by training, she took office after almost fifty years in academia and public service. She is the first person in American history to have led the White House Council of Economic Advisors, the Federal Reserve, and the Treasury Department.